More Companies Building In-House API Programs: Survey

Given companies’ interest in building mobile apps and cloud portals for their employees, it was only a matter of time before many of them decided to establish their own developer API programs.

Some 43 percent of the 140 respondents to a new survey from Layer 7 (tip of the hat to VentureBeat for the link) said their company already had an API program of some sort in place, while another 27 percent planned on launching one within the next year. Within five years, 86.5 percent of organizations will have an API program up and running within their walls.

Around 71.9 percent of respondents said that interest in mobility programs were driving the API adoption, while 69.1 percent indicated that it was being done in the name of partner connectivity; nearly as many—69.1 percent—suggested that cloud integration was responsible. With regard to actually selecting an API management platform, security—particularly API data and interface security, along with OAuth and access control—was the top consideration, followed by mobile performance optimization, developer enablement, and the potential for deep-dive data analytics.

Some 55.1 percent of respondents preferred deploying their API program on-premises, while 42.8 percent indicated interest in a hybrid deployment; by comparison, 22.5 percent indicated interest in a public cloud for deployment. (As one can see in the infographic below, the total for that category is over 100 percent because respondents could presumably choose multiple options.)

Whatever options these companies end up choosing, their reliance on mobile devices and cloud networks will only increase—which will further boost the pressure to bring a robust API program in-house. Alternately, of course, those companies could simply rely on finished software created by third-party developers—but what’s the fun in that?

Author

Nick Kolakowski has written for The Washington Post, Slashdot, eWeek, McSweeney's, Thrillist, WebMD, Trader Monthly, and other venues. He's also the author of "A Brutal Bunch of Heartbroken Saps" and "Slaughterhouse Blues," a pair of noir thrillers.